Sun xVM Does Windows
Well, maybe not quite yet, but Windows support for xVM Server and Ops Center seems to be right on track--at least according to Virtual Steve. As Steve and various news outlets point out, Microsft launched its Server Virtualization Validation Programs, and lo and behold, Sun is one of a handful of companies to receive an early nod from Microsoft to run Windows Server as a guest OS on the baremetal Sun xVM Server hypervisor.
All of which begs the question: Why chose Sun xVM? Well, maybe because it is free and open. Or, perhaps, because its management layer has been designed to scale to 1000s upon 1000s of nodes. Or, per chance, because it features the datacenter-grade security and reliability you would expect from Sun. Those are but a few of the reasons that explain the growing chorus of customer interest in Sun xVM Server and Ops Center.
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I point this out because I can't tell you how many analyst comments I've read describing Sun xVM as a Solaris or SPARC play. Sure, Solaris will be a great guest OS on XVM Server, but so will Windows--at least if you believe Microsoft's latest announcement. Simply put, Sun is committed to building a hetergenous (Windows, Linux and Solaris) and interoperable (ESX and Hyper-V) virtualization platform. And, just because I hear this one from time to time too, you won't need to know a lick of Solaris to run xVM because the management interface will be entirely browser based. |
